The present invention relates to a carpet sweeping appliance of the type particularly used to clean floors and carpets and commonly referred to as a “carpet sweeper” although finding applicability in the sweeping of dirt from a variety of other surfaces.
Conventional carpet sweepers comprise a housing which supports a pair of rollers or pairing of wheels and a bristle-carrying rotary brush. The housing is formed with an elongate slot adjacent the brush, leading to an internal dirt-receiving enclosure. The brush is arranged so that the bristles pass over the surface on which the sweeper is resting so that as the brush rotates particles of dirt are swept into the enclosure. In a very common form the brush has the form of a bristle carrying drum which is mechanically linked to the wheels or rollers so that as the carpet sweeper is pushed across the ground the wheels rotate and in turn rotate the brush. In the case of a brush which rotates in the same manner [sense] as a ground supporting roller or wheel, it is also necessary that the brush rotate at a speed faster than the speed at which the carpet sweeper is being pushed across the ground, so as to impart movement to the particles of dirt. This is typically achieved by forming the wheels of a smaller diameter than the bristle-carrying drum, or by using a speed-increasing gear mechanism to link the wheels and the brush. Other arrangements may be used to drive the brush in a reverse direction using a gear mechanism.
In yet another form, the brush may be motor driven, generally by a simple electric motor, in which case the motor is connected to the brush by a speed reducing gear train.